


Lightning and the Thunder

by flicker_album



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Honestly?, M/M, The X Factor Era, pure fluff dude
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-28
Updated: 2017-11-28
Packaged: 2019-02-07 20:22:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,115
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12848805
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/flicker_album/pseuds/flicker_album
Summary: Harry has a habit of waking up screaming. Louis keeps him company.





	Lightning and the Thunder

**Author's Note:**

> Okay I'll be honest. I wrote this forever ago and posted it on my Tumblr but ended up deleting it. I just wrote something for (my first) fic challenge so I thought why the hell not post this on here? 
> 
> I don't write much but I read tons so *shrugs* I hope you like it! 
> 
> None of this is real and all that. I mean, it could've happened but I wouldn't know.
> 
> xx

Harry woke up screaming. It wasn’t the first time something like that has happened and it probably won’t be the last. Loud noises in the middle of the night usually wake him up, and more often than not he was screaming. He identified the cause right away; thunder. He blinks and realizes he’s sitting up straight in his bed, his heart racing. Taking deep breaths to get his heart rate under control, he thinks of what to do. Back in Holmes Chapel he would grab a midnight snack or see if Gemma was awake for a chat until the storm passed. But this is the first time it’s happened in the X Factor house.

Too deep in thought, he doesn’t hear the tentative whisper from the bunk above him. “…Harry?” He shakes his head a little when he hears the whisper again and whispers back himself, “Lou?” Next thing he knows, Louis is out of the top bunk, standing next to Harry’s bed looking at him with concern. 

“You okay? You screamed…” 

“Uh, yeah. It happens sometimes… when I get woken up by a loud noise…” Harry is sure he has a full on blush on his face but luckily the room is dark enough Louis can’t see. 

Louis takes it all in stride and stares at him a little harder, making Harry squirm under his blanket. If Louis wasn’t so goddamn attractive this would be a little bit easier. But Harry is trying not to think about that. Instead he glances up and tries to make out the blue of Louis’ eyes when he hears him speak again. 

“Are you sure you’re okay? You look confused now.”

Harry let’s out a small laugh, “Yeah just not sure what to do. Can’t really fall back asleep…”

“Are you scared of the storm?”

Letting out another small laugh Harry replies, “Nah mate, but I really don’t want to wake up screaming again. So I usually just wait it out.”

Louis looks at the floor while he takes this information in, then “Budge up then.”

“…What?”

“Well you woke me up with your screaming and neither of us are going to sleep anytime soon so we might as well chat.”

Harry isn’t really going to pass up the opportunity to have Louis in such close proximity, in his bed no less, so he moves over.

“So… loud noises huh?”

Rolling his eyes Harry explains. “Yeah, not really sure why. It happens every so often. But honestly, thunder is the most normal reason so far.”

“Well now I gotta know. What’s the weirdest reason you’ve woken up screaming?”

Harry thinks for a second. “Probably when my cat knocked something over in my room. Or when my phone went off really loudly.” 

He can tell Louis is trying to stifle a laugh. “You- you screamed because you’re phone went off?”

Harry shifts in the bed a little to nudge Louis’ shoulder. “Oh god, don’t laugh! I can’t control it!” He tries to sound upset but he’s laughing as well. Then he has a thought. “Now you know this weird piece of information about me. What about you?”

And that’s how it starts. They lay side by side in Harry’s tiny bed of the One Direction room of the X Factor house. The other three boys never woke up during Harry’s outburst. Or if they did they didn’t make it known. So it’s Harry and Louis, shoulders pressed together, whispering in the dark. They’re learning more and more about each other with every passing minute and Harry really couldn’t be more endeared. His crush on Louis is growing stronger and he’s trying to keep it in check. Really, he is. He doesn’t even know if Louis likes him, or likes boys at all. But he’s hanging onto every word Louis says.

“So what did you do when your teacher told you to stop only speaking in questions?” Harry asks.

Louis turns his face towards Harry with a devious grin. “I gave her the most confused look I could do without laughing…” His face changes to furrowed brows and down turned lips. “…and said ‘What do you mean I’m only speaking in questions? I don’t understand, can you explain please?’” He grins again. “That time I got sent out of class.”

Harry slaps his hand over his mouth to not laugh too loudly. He can picture Louis doing this so perfectly in his mind and to him it’s hilarious. He looks over at Louis to tell him this when he catches sight of the time on the clock next to his bed. Shit.

“Shit. It’s been almost an hour and a half.” Harry belatedly realizes the storm is over and probably has been for a while.

Louis let’s out a small “Oh,” and moves to get out of the bed with a sad look on his face, despite grinning only seconds before. “I’ll let you sleep then.”

Harry panics. He doesn’t want Louis to go back to his bed. He doesn’t really want this to end yet. So he haphazardly grabs Louis’ arm when he’s getting off the bed. “Wait!”

Louis freezes and glances back at Harry.

“You- you don’t have to… I mean like- well… I don’t mind? If you- if you… stay…” 

Glancing up from the floor Louis looks at Harry, then slowly gets back in the bed. 

“If you’re sure Curly. Just don’t kick me in your sleep.”

“Yeah, if anyone is kicking it’s probably going to be you, footie boy.”

Louis snorts, “Footie boy! Okay Haz, okay.”

Harry is actually starting to feel drowsy now. Then he realizes: somehow his hand is still resting on Louis’ arm. And Louis hasn’t done anything to make him move it. He glances over to Louis’ face but his eyes are closed. In a moment of hopefulness Harry starts moving his hand down towards Louis’ wrist but freezes before he gets all the way there. Shit. Now it’s weird. He should just take his hand off. Louis is probably sleeping so he should just stop.

“If you’re going to hold my hand just do it.”

Jesus. Harry’s heart is racing again. He didn’t think Louis was awake. And he’s still frozen with his hand awkwardly resting on Louis’ forearm. He closes his eyes and turns his head away from Louis. What does he do now? He basically just got called out.

Softly he hears, “Seriously. You can.” Then even softer, “I want you to.”

Harry slides his hand down to Louis’ and laces their fingers together. His eyes are still closed. He can’t see Louis’ reaction but he hears him sigh, “Finally.”

He falls asleep with a smile on his face.


End file.
